Women and gender minorities in pop music industry: what's new?

With more than 25 years of experience in the music industry, Corinne Sadki started her career in labels, building a marketing expertise in music.

In 2016, she joined Le Bureau Export, as Director of Studies, Communication and Digital Development and she is involved in European issues as
President of EMEE in favour of the development of music at European level.

Within the Centre National de la Musique, she is an Advisor in charge of Europe and gender equality, supporting professionals on European issues and working towards equal access of women and men to the music business.

Séverine Cappiello is the head of Sturm Production, which produces the Jazz à la Petite France festival in Strasbourg as well as a women's musical season.
She is a graduate of Sciences-Po Paris and holds a DESS (post-graduate diploma) in International Artistic Cooperation from Paris 8. She has been producing live shows for the past 20 years, from La Friche Belle de Mai in Marseille to the Percussions de Strasbourg, from contemporary music to jazz, improvised and creative music.

She is also co-founder of the association HFX Grand Est.
Sturm Production will organize European professional meetings for gender equality in the music sector in Strasbourg, from July 13 to 15, 2023, with the support of MusicAire, the European Union and the three-year contract Strasbourg European Capital.

Following her experience as an artistic adviser to several Strasbourg artists*, Emma Mellado contributed to the creation of the Incisifves collective in September 2022. This mixed network is based on the desire to create a virtuous circle between pop music actors in Strasbourg. She is deepening her research into the issues of inclusiveness and pedagogy in the support of artists, both amateur and professional.

The Incisifves collective is a mixed collective born from the meetings and exchanges of its current members over the last few years*. It is based on the desire to create a virtuous circle between music players in Strasbourg. This collective is open to all gender minorities without distinction of profession, professional experience, age or means. Its aim is to create human and professional links. Its workshops, discussions, jams and exchange moments are all organised, managed and moderated by members of the collective, in order to enhance the know-how of people in Strasbourg.

Nesrine Ghulam has been the regional coordinator of Helvetiarockt since 2022 and coordinates all offers for young female musicians with the aim of training the next generation of musicians. Based in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, she has a master's degree in gender studies, is a feminist activist and has been active in the musical cultural world of the French-speaking part of Switzerland and Geneva in particular for many years.

Helvetiarockt has been committed to women and non-binary people in the Swiss music industry since 2009. The association acts as a national coordination centre and networking platform for female musicians in jazz, pop and rock in particular. By offering workshops for young and experienced female musicians, producers and DJs, it trains the next generation of musicians.
By networking with various actors in the Swiss music industry, Helvetiarockt also raises awareness of issues related to the under-representation of minorities on stage, and issues related to gender-based and sexual harassment in clubs and festivals. The association is at the disposal of organisations and individuals to answer their questions and concerns.
 

Linn Meissner is co-founder and chairwoman of the regional Music Women* network musicNRWwomen*.
She is also on the committee of the nationwide umbrella organization Music Women* Germany. Linn studied music at the ArtEZ Conservatory in the Netherlands and holds a master’s degree in Arts Management from the Cologne University of Music and Dance (Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln).

Since 2018 she has been working as project manager of popNRW for the State Music Council (Landesmusikrat NRW) of North Rhine-Westphalia. This program supports the most promising acts from the region and promotes them abroad at international music festivals. In addition, every year, the program honors the best up-and-coming and most outstanding artists with awards. popNRW is also presenting workshops for music business newbies during the c/o pop convention.

PopNRW is supporting promising and ambitious young bands from all over North Rhine-Westphalia since 2012, with the aim of strengthening the top-class music scene in NRW and making it nationally competitive. The year-round support programme is geared to the special needs of young musicians and consists of various modules and offers. Among the best-known NRW acts that popNRW has discovered and promoted in recent years are Giant Rooks, AnnenMayKantereit, Roosevelt, International Music, Amilli and Die.

PopNRW is funded by the NRW Ministry for Economics, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy and made possible by the NRW Ministry of Culture and Science, the Landesmusikrat NRW and the NRW KULTURsekretariat.

Manon has a degree in Political Science and International Relations and is specialized in cultural management.

For Les Volumineuses, she mobilizes her skills in event organization, administration and project coordination to create opportunities for Brussels artists and professionals. She initiated the project and has been its general coordinator for the past year and a half.
She has also been mentored in the framework of the Mewem Europa program in Belgium as an entrepreneur in the music sector with the project Les Volumineuses.

Les Volumineuses was born out of a need to shake up the music scene and the cultural world of Brussels by putting forward gendered artists* and their talents, by giving them a real voice. These people are often under-represented in the sector, sometimes censored, not recognized and not promoted enough. They therefore wish to develop a concept of musical and performing arts events in key places of the cultural and festive life of Brussels.

With an inclusive and intersectional feminist posture, they want to give space and visibility to people who are subject to multiple discriminations because of their gender, ethnic origin, physical situation, religion or spirituality, sexual orientation, social class, etc. They anchor their events in different districts of Brusels in order to reach a variety of audiences, representative of the cultural and social richness that they are keen to highlight.

Their priority is to create a safe and caring festive environment for all. What does the term "gendered" mean? It applies to all people who are victims of sexism such as cis-gender women, transgender people, non-binary people and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Patrizia Luchetta is the haed of  Charlotte in Red 's project.

The idea of Charlotte in Red was born from a double observation: the ubiquity of the digital space, an inevitable step for artists to show their talent and increase their audience while experiencing the difficulty of standing out and gaining a place in it. Secondly, since women have never been treated on an equal footing in the world of art, music and cinema, and despite the increase in their numbers, it is clear that they remain under-represented and under-appreciated, a sexist prejudice reinforced by the treatment of women in the mainstream media.
CIR aims to create unique, inspiring content; and foster a connection, a dialogue between the artists, the public and other stakeholders in the digital era
Tell the stories of 15 women artists, who use their creative work to bring to the forefront the urgency of working towards accomplishing
the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Fueled by its founders' passion for digital documentaries, powerful storytelling and visual aesthetics, Charlotte in Red aims to document the creative process of women, showcase their talent and give them a voice."Building Bridges between Female Creators,Public Spaces & AudiencesEstablish an agora, which will give a voice and increased visibility to female creatives, convey their artistic approach, as well as their societal involvement.

Her next project : 5 Cities / 15 Powerful Voice sA total of 5 videos - filmed in 5 different cities - each showcasing 3 artists. A physical roundtable discussion in each city, featuring the filmed artists, as well as representatives of the corporate world and of local government.